In brief
Al Jazeera reports that three electricity substations were hit by drones on Monday, marking 18 attacks in a week that caused widespread outages across eastern and northern Sudan. The government accuses Ethiopia of aiding the Rapid Support Forces in the campaign, while a senior RSF commander has defected after surrendering to army forces.
The Sudanese military announced that on Monday three electricity substations—New Halfa and Aroma in eastern Kassala state and al‑Ghazali in the Northern State—were struck by drones, creating widespread power outages across parts of the country. The attacks marked the 18th reported strike on the nation’s electricity network this week.
The Sudanese government has attributed the drone campaign to the government of Ethiopia, stating that Addis Ababa is supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in carrying out these attacks. On Sunday, the Sudanese authorities filed formal complaints against Ethiopia with the United Nations Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, accusing the Ethiopian government of involvement in the ongoing civilian infrastructure attacks.
Local media reported videos that appear to show fires erupting at the three hit substations, with civil defence teams attempting to extinguish them. Al Jazeera was not able to immediately verify the footage and the reports, noting uncertainty surrounding the authenticity of the social media material.
In parallel to the air attacks, the Sudanese army reported that a group of RSF members had defected in Damazin, the capital of southeastern Blue Nile state. The announcement followed a declaration in video footage obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera, in which senior RSF commander Siddiq Ander stated his defection to the army.
The army said the defection was the latest addition to a growing number of RSF members surrendering to Sudan’s forces in Blue Nile state and that the commander had provided information on the management of military operations in Damazin, including “Ethiopian support” for the RSF.
Both the attacks on the power grid and the alleged foreign assistance remain unverified by independent observers. The exact extent of Ethiopia’s role in the drone strikes has not been confirmed outside of Sudan’s official claims, and the details of the defector’s statements are yet to be corroborated by other sources.
Experts say that multiple successive attacks on power infrastructure could have long-term effects on the supply of electricity across Sudan, but the government has not yet outlined specific measures to restore the damaged substations. The Sudanese army has pledged to investigate the incidents and to strengthen the country’s electrical grid against future assaults.
Suspicions that Ethiopia is aiding the RSF in a covert campaign, as well as the actual impact of the attacks on Sudan’s power reliability, remain uncertain. The veracity of the Serbian “defecting” statement, the authenticity of the social media footage, and the longer-term consequences of the outages are all issues that still require further confirmation from independent oversight groups. The situation continues to evolve as Sudan attempts to secure its civilian infrastructure amid ongoing conflict.
